POSTGAME NOTES
Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Birmingham, Ala. | December 27, 2024
Vanderbilt 35, Georgia Tech 27
TEAM NOTES
- Vanderbilt won the toss and elected to defer. All five captains represented the Commodores at midfield: Diego Pavia, CJ Taylor, Langston Patterson, Marlen Sewell, and Richie Hoskins
- The Commodore offense posted 35 points, its sixth time scoring 30 or more. It is the fifth game this season Vanderbilt has scored in every quarter
- Vanderbilt’s five touchdowns is tied for the most scored in a bowl game in program history
- The Dores generated two takeaways, the sixth time this season with multiple in a game. The defense finished with 10 or more interceptions in a season for the fifth time in the last six years
- Vandy also added three sacks, the fifth game this season with three or more, tied for the second-most in bowl game history. It is the fifth time this season the Dores have at least seven tackles for a loss
- The 35-27 win is the first bowl game victory since 2013 and first win over Georgia Tech since 1941, ending a six-game skid to the Yellow Jackets. The Commodores captured their first winning season since 2013
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Quarterback Diego Pavia generated five total touchdowns against Georgia Tech, the most a Commodore has accounted for in a bowl game in program history. It is the fifth time this year with both a passing and rushing touchdown
- Pavia’s three passing touchdowns marks a single-game high this season and is tied for the most in a bowl game. His 20 total passing touchdowns are the fifth most by a Commodore in a season, the first occurrence since Kyle Shurmur threw for 24 in 2018. He passed for multiple touchdowns in eight of 13 games
- The senior finishes the 2024 campaign with 3,094 total offensive yards, moving to No. 2 for most total offense in a Vanderbilt season. His 801 season rushing yards currently leads all SEC quarterbacks and is No. 8 across Division I quarterbacks
- Tight end Eli Stowers caught his team-leading fifth touchdown of the year. He also finished atop the team’s season receiving yards with 638
- Wide receiver Junior Sherrill extended his reception streak to 24 games
- Tight end Cole Spence notched three receptions, a single-game career high
- Wide receiver Loic Fouonji‘s 40-yard catch in the first quarter was his longest of the season and the seventh-longest in a Vandy bowl game
- Running back Sedrick Alexander collected multiple receptions in a game for the sixth time this season
- Linebacker Nick Rinaldi set a career high in tackles with 10 while producing the first multi-sack game of his career. The junior led the Commodores with six sacks this year, the most in a season since 2017. Rinaldi tied Kyle Woestmann for most sacks (2.0) in a Vanderbilt bowl game
- Linebacker Langston Patterson had multiple tackles for a loss (1.5) in a game for the first time since Nov. 4, 2023 against Auburn. Patterson also finished with a tackle for loss in back-to-back games for the first time this season
- Edge Miles Capers forced his team-leading third fumble on the year. Capers’ three forced fumbles are the most by a Commodore since 2018
- Safety CJ Taylor nabbed his second interception of the season, fifth of his career
- Lineman Yilanan Ouattara secured his second sack in the last three games
- Lineman Aeneas DiCosmo recovered his first fumble this season
- Punter Jesse Mirco‘s 69-yard punt in the third quarter tied his season long and is the longest in bowl game history for the Commodores